The Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety

I. Introduction
II. Bill overview
A. Introduced in 2011
1. Representative of Illinois
2. Jan Schakowsky
B. Addresses nurse-to-patient staffing ratios
1. Department of Health and Human Services
2. Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
III. Advocates for the bill
A. United Nurses of America and National Nurses United B. American Federation of Government Employees and American Federation of Teacher C. Services Employees International Union and AFL-CIO D. American Federation of State, Country and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) E. United Steelworkers

IV. Opposing organizations
A. American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration (ASHHRA) B. American Hospital Association (AHA)

C. State Hospital Associations
1. Illinois Hospital Association
2. Greater New York Hospital Association
D. American Organization of Nurse Executives
E. California Healthcare Association (CHA)

V. Rationale for the bill
A. Direct correlation to nurse staffing ratios
B. Direct correlation poor patient outcomes
VI. Financial effects
A. Reduce Turnover
B. Reduction of Supplemental staffing and staffing agencies C. High operational costs and labor costs
D. Reduction of liability

VII. Effects on the environment
A. Title XXXIV-Minimum Direct Care Registered Nurse Staffing Requirement B. Patient safety
VIII. Effect on job satisfaction for nursing
A. Nurse retention
B. Quality health care delivery
IX. Views on the bill
A. Data analysis in favor of the bill
B. States in favor of the bill
X. Conclusion

References

Aiken, L., Clarke, S., & Sloan, D. (2002). Hospital staffing, organizational support, and quality of care: cross-national findings. International Journal of Quality Health, (14), 5-13.

Shindul-Rotschild J, Berry D, Long-Middleton E. (1996). Where have all the nurses gone? final results of our Patient Care Survey. American Journal of Nursing (96), 25-39.

Welton, J. M. (2007, September). Mandatory hospital nurse to patient staffing ratios: Time to take a different approach. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 12. doi:10.3912/OJIN.Vol12No03Man01.

Wood, D. (2012, April). New York pushes nurse staffing ratios bill for
hospitals, nursing homes. Retrieved from http://news.nurse.com/article/20120409/NY01/104020031.